Clarity eludes on who won Karachi polls

All three main players lay claim to victory amid rigging charges; PPP leads in Hyderabad

KARACHI:

Unofficial polling results of the local government elections on 1,200 seats in seven districts of Karachi Division could not be announced till the wee hours of Monday as they were very limited while three political parties – the Pakistan Peoples Party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Jamaat-e-Islami – claimed majority.

In Hyderabad, according to the unofficial results, the PPP seems to have swept the LG polls in all the nine districts of Hyderabad Division except for a couple of upsets at the hands of the PTI and the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA).

The JI spokesperson claimed that his party bagged more than 100 seats, PPP over 80 seats and the PTI 50 seats in Karachi.

As per the unconfirmed results so far, no party had been able to secure a clear majority for the mayor's crown.

There were some wards where members had won by 31 and 150 votes as per unofficial results.

The PPP was concerned about the delay in the results of LG elections in Karachi, while the JI and the PTI levelled allegations of rigging.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) sources said that the preliminary election results would be released today (Monday).

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in a statement on social media that his party had swept the second phase of the LG elections.

PPP leader Murtaza Wahab claimed that the PPP bagged the union councils in Karachi with a huge majority.

According to the PPP leaders’ claims, they had an advantage in Keamari, Malir and South district and that their candidates won most of the UCs, while the JI was announcing victory in Central, East and West districts.

Hyderabad unofficial results

According to the initial, unofficial and unconfirmed results, the PPP was leading with 25 seats of chairmen and vice chairmen, in addition to its 29 uncontested seats, in Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC), which consists of 160 UCs.

In the absence of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), which boycotted the elections, the PPP did not witness a strong competition in Hyderabad. The PTI had so far secured six seats, the JI one and the independent candidates two.

Although the results of the HMC are far from complete, the PPP Hyderabad chapter began its celebrations. A celebratory event was held late on Sunday night at Rawal House, the residence of Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon.

"The people of Hyderabad have expressed their trust in the PPP. The PPP will try to meet their expectations," Memon said in a statement.

The PTI workers also celebrated victory in Hyderabad.

The elections were held on a total of 599 seats of chairmen and vice chairmen of the UCs and general members of the wards. Each UC consists of four wards.

Meanwhile, the PTI candidates dealt a blow to the PPP's popularity in one of the towns of Dadu district, bagging eight of 14 wards in Town Committee (TC) Mehar. The PPP secured just four seats. However, the party won from all the other municipal and town committees in Dadu, including MC Dadu, MC Johi, TC Seeta Road, TC Radhan and TC Bhan Saeedabad.

Likewise, the GDA also surprised the PPP in TC Matiari where the alliance won the committee with four seats. Like Dadu, rest of all local bodies in Matiari went to the PPP. The PPP was defeated in a TC in Thatta district as well. The independent candidates won majority seats in TC Mirpurkhas Sakro.

However, the PPP emerged victorious in MC Thatta, TC Gharo, TC Makli and TC Jati. In Badin district, the alliance between the GDA and former home minister Zulfiqar Mirza-supported candidates could not keep the PPP at bay as the party clinched 12 of 14 seats. The ruling party in Sindh also won MC Matli and TC Talhar.

The PPP's candidates also secured the majority of seats in MC Kotri, MC Bolhari, TC Sehwan and TC Jamshoro in Jamshoro district. The PPP triumphed in Tando Allahyar district as well getting 16 of 23 seats of the MC. The results of the district councils of eight districts are still awaited.

Almost five million people were registered to vote in nine districts of Hyderabad Division where the contest occurred on as many as 2,384 seats with more than 9,000 candidates landing in the electoral fray.

JI claims victory

The JI came off with flying colours as according to unofficial reports, the party won over 100 union councils in the much-awaited LG elections in Karachi, according to a statement issued by the JI.

JI Karachi chief Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman while addressing a news conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq, the JI Karachi headquarters, said that the party made a major historical comeback in the political arena of the city.

He said that the LG elections were a crucial demand of the party and the JI had been campaigning for the polls since long.

He claimed that the JI walked the talk and successfully got the elections conducted despite all-out efforts by the opponents against holding them.

While highlighting the PPP government’s behaviour in Sindh and the conduct of the MQM-P, the JI leader said: “The so-called political parties have been afraid of the local government as it provides basis for democracy on the grassroots level.”

However, he said, the pressure by the people compelled the PPP government to hold the polls.

Rehman also hailed the ECP for taking a stand and holding the elections despite immense pressure by the PPP and the MQM-P against doing so.

He asked the PPP government to show sportsmen spirit and issue confirmed results immediately. He gave a short deadline for issuance of forms 11 and 12, warning of holding a massive protest in the city.

To a question, he said that 91 UCs had been confirmed, 15 were also won pending official confirmation, whereas dispute erupted in 10 UCs.

He said that the JI would be unveiling its future course of action on Monday (today), if the government and the ECP didn’t resolve the issue by then.

He vowed to follow in the footsteps of former mayors Abdul Sattar Afghani and Naimtullah Khan Advocate. He said that the JI would continue the saga of progress and development in Karachi, bringing back the glory of the once city of lights.

A large number of JI workers started to gather at the JI Karachi headquarters as the results started pouring in. The charged political activists chanted slogans and distributed sweets.

The JI leaders, including Rehman, Saifuddin Advocate, Farooq Nematullah, Junaid Makati, Muddasir Hussain Ansari and others, won their respective UCs, the statement added.